


Maxis's Journal

by Maxis_the_Mercenary



Series: Maxis's Journals [1]
Category: Fire Emblem Heroes, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Gen, Slow To Update, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:35:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25558945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maxis_the_Mercenary/pseuds/Maxis_the_Mercenary
Summary: I'm an introvert. Lazy and unmotivated. So what makes me a "great hero?" I'm not too smart, either. I'm funny, maybe. But I'm quiet. Is having ADHD that special? Oh, right, I've just gone insane; that all this is—terror and madness. Oh, yeah, they don't have guns. But I do. And it's a horrible one. I really have gone mad.
Series: Maxis's Journals [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1628716
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. Beginning Anew

You can be anything, or so everyone says. I can’t say I wanted to be an accountant, though. I would’ve rather have been a logger in the 1800s. The first settler in Minnesota. That would’ve been amazing. Having a beautiful wife, plenty of kids… The world would be better off in the times of the Church and the Crown, so _I_ say. This was going through my head for the umpteenth time of my life as I was sitting in my parents’ house, wearing a gray bathrobe, a blue t-shirt, pajama pants printed with moose, bears, deer and the like, wool socks, and slippers—the complete Arthur Dent by Douglas Adams. I even showered and shaved four hours ago at eight in the morning. I rechecked my phone to see if I had gotten any job offers—not to mention my depressing social media apps—but no. No one wanted somebody with only a two-year degree. The world was evolving into the dirt. I stood up and felt the blood rush to my lower body, blurring my vision and making me stumble.

Somebody caught me. “Hey, are you alright? I hope summoning you didn’t hurt at all.” When my vision cleared, I found that I was being held up by a red-haired woman. She pushed me back upright and said, “My name is Anna, Great Hero, and our kingdom, Askr, is on the brink of war. We ask of you! Please help us in our time of need!” She had an axe. And a white tunic with gold accents. She didn’t have a t-shirt and jeans, she wore armor, leather boots, and leather gloves. Her hair was tied into a ponytail. Her eyes were a shade of red.

I stumbled back, and my hand rested on something. Thinking I could support myself on it, I fell back, missing it altogether. My back hit warm, carved stone. My head would’ve hit the carved rock if I hadn’t slowed myself with whatever I had grabbed onto. It was a gravestone, for lack of a better word, with a hole through the middle and a carving of a tree around the hole.

The redhead was quickly at my side. “Hey! Are you okay?! If you’re not, then—” She was cut off by a man shouting something. “Son of a— Look, just sit tight while I take care of this.” She ran off to who knows where and left me to pick up the pieces of my shattered mind. I rolled over and pushed myself up. Grassy hills led to trees led to mountain ranges… Clouds hung low in the sky… Lakes and ponds dotted the places where groves of trees would have been otherwise…

The woman came back with smeared blood on the side of her face and more on her clothes. She must have seen how terrified I was because she dropped the axe, knelt down, and grabbed me by the shoulders. “Hey, it’s okay! I’m not going to hurt you! Can you tell me your name?”

I could only stammer for a moment before an arrow bounced off the stone ground next to us.

“Sh—” She pushed something into my hands. “Run! Find Alfonse in the World of Mystery!”

She ran off again, but I couldn’t move. I looked down at the thing she gave me. It was an ornate gun. I turned it in my hands so that I could hold it properly. I jumped and accidentally pulled the trigger as another arrow bounced off of the stone. There was a blinding light, and I rolled to cower under my bathrobe. There were shouts from two unknown voices, then something from another voice, and more from who I could only assume to be the woman. A bit later, a hand rested on my back.

“You alright?” I turned to see the woman again. I nodded shakily. “Good. Sorry to have to drag you into this mess, but thank you for summoning Virion to help me. Only you could have figured out how to use Breidablik so quickly.” She turned to the man next to her and said, “And thank you too, Virion, you saved my life.”

“Oh, please,” the man said. He had steely blue hair, a cravat, armor over his entire left arm, long leather boots, and held a bow. “I was only doing what any upstanding gentleman would do for a fine lady, such as yourself. Perhaps we could have tea sometime?” His voice reminded me of a vampire.

“Uh, later, I’m afraid. Right now, we need to find Alfonse. Can you stand, Great Hero,” Anna asked me. I nodded quickly and scrambled to my feet. “Alright. Follow me, you two.” She started off at a brisk walking pace, none of us talking.

I had my perception of reality broken twice now. Lovecraft would have a word with me if he found out, I’m sure. We had entered what I could only describe as one of many massive stone doorways, the size of which shook me to my core, not to mention the archway of eldritch magnitude sitting in front of it. On the other side was grass of a darker green—you know how it goes—and healthy trees.

“Alfonse,” Anna called out to a young man with blue hair tipped gold. He wore clothing and armor very similar to Anna’s, though he had a shield on his left arm.

He turned to us. “Commander! Who are— Are these Heroes…?!”

“Yes,” she said, then gestured to the archer. “This is Virion.”

“From the World of Awakening,” he gasped out. He bowed. “It’s an honor to meet the Archest of Archers.”

“Ah! I see my reputation has spread quickly! Your commander has explained the matter that plagues your kingdom. My bow is yours to wield as you see fit.”

“Thank you. I’m afraid that’s all I can give you for your support.” Alfonse turned to me. “And who might you be? I’ve never seen your face in the books in the library, I’m afraid.”

Anna gestured to me. “This is— Oh, sorry, but I never got your name before.”

My lips parted slightly. “Max… is…,” I mumbled.

“Maxis?” Anna smiled. “That’s a good name.” She turned to Alfonse again. “This is Maxis, the Great Hero.”

“The Great Hero…?! From the prophecy?!”

“The same. I raised Breidablik up, and he appeared before my very eyes.”

Alfonse got on one knee, bowing. “I thank you for providing your aid. If you need anything from us, please, do not hesitate to ask.”

“I loathe to interrupt our conversation,” Virion said. “But it seems that fiends quickly approach.” We all turned to where he was pointing. Across three separate bridges were three distinct enemies, each wearing armor similar in form, but different in color armor to Alfonse and Anna—black with a duller gold accent. From left to right, it was a man with a lance, a man with a sword, and a man with a bow. “If the weapon triangle is to be followed, Anna, you should engage the lancer, Alfonse, the axeman, and I shall take on the swordsman.”

Anna nodded. “Good idea.”

Alfonse looked at me. “Can you aid us in this battle, Great Hero?”

I stammered a bit before shaking my head.

“I see… Alright, we shall do our best regardless.” The three ran off into combat, leaving me alone to watch. I stared wide-eyed at how easily they were killing the people in black. Anna had received a light stab wound to her thigh before her axe bit into the other man’s side, then split his head open. Alfonse had gotten cut on his shoulder but was quickly able to stab his opponent through his armor and into his stomach. He then stabbed him in the heart as the man lay on the ground. Virion was able to put an arrow into the axe man’s shoulder blade, then his throat. I stood there frozen as they all returned, wiping blood off their weapons and bodies.

“Good work, everyone,” Anna spoke. “Alfonse, I’d like to find your sister, then head back to the castle and share all our reports.”

“Of course,” he replied. Alfonse turned to me as we walked. “Those gateways lead to different worlds. The one we’re currently headed for leads to the World of Mystery. My younger sister, Sharena, is currently there, scouting how far the Emblian Empire has gone into the world and what Heroes they have put under contract. I can tell you more about the worlds back at the castle.”

I just nodded in response.

“Sharena,” Anna called out. “What’s the situation here?”

“I’m sorry, Commander— Wait, who are— Did you bring new Heroes with,” the girl gasped. She was blonde with pink tips at the end of her hair, had green eyes, and armor identical to Alfonse’s. She had a braid wrapping around the top of her head like a tiara, and her hair cascaded down her back until it… didn’t? Maybe she had it tied at the bottom or something for some reason? Anyways, she had a lance in her right hand and a small shield on her left arm, just like her brother.

“I’m afraid they’ll have to wait on introductions.”

“Sorry… But simply put? Dreadful… I wasn’t able to do anything about it, but the Empire has put Palla, Catria, _and_ Minerva under contract. Her little sister, too!” Also, her voice was high. Very high. If you could take nails on a chalkboard and drown it in sugar, sunshine, and other girly stuff, you’d probably have Sharena’s voice.

“Gods, that is not good…” The redhead put a finger to her chin in thought. “I’m afraid we can’t do anything about it. Not yet.”

“What?! But—! We have to do something!”

“I know, Sharena, but we need help if we’re going to take them on.”

“If I may,” Virion interrupted. “I have a bow, and if my memory serves correctly, they were all flying fighters, no?”

“You’re right…! Maybe we _can_ do it! Virion, do you have a plan?”

“I do. I will try to pick them off, but I will need you three to protect me in the process.” Virion looked down. “Though I am loath to kill such lovely beauties…”

“No need to worry about that. The Empire’s contracts stop them from being killed until the contract is broken, and all we need to do to break the contract is, well, kill them, to put it simply.”

“Ah, I see! Then I’m sure everything will be back to normal afterwards, no?”

“That’s correct.”

“Splendid!”

I swallowed as they all moved away to battle. I looked out at the surrounding area. I would have sworn the mountains in the distance had moved closer to us, if the grass hadn’t been a deeper shade of green. The new trees helped clear up the fact that this was another world, too. Anyways, the four warriors gathered in front of a long crumbling wall. The three without bows started to break down the barrier like Pikmin, making surprisingly short work of it. They started forth with their archer in tow. My eyes widened at the creatures in the air—two pegasi and a wyvern beginning a rapid descent toward the four. On their backs were three women, each with one with a different, not usually natural hair color. They each had weapons to match the ones wielded by… the good guys, I guess? I wasn’t going to get that information for a long time, probably. Anyways again, the riders came down hard and fast. I don’t know what led to the survival of the group, but it did its job. The three melee attackers all received some bad wounds. Still, Virion was able to begin firing at the attackers through his defenders. Not something they usually allowed at the range, but all of the arrows hit the enemies instead, thankfully. Once one of them was wounded enough—plenty of cuts and an _arrow_ in her body—they would retreat back and reappear a moment later, wounds and arrow gone. I looked around for the cause of such a miracle, and found that a young girl was waving a… healing scepter(?) over them.

I pulled that gun out of my bathrobe pocket and looked down at it. I wanted to help, but I didn’t want to hurt anyone… I pointed it away from the battle and towards the ground. I was hoping I could make another person appear, but I was still worried that an actual bullet would come out. I braced myself for anything and slowly pulled the trigger. When I felt the trigger hit the back of the trigger well, I realized that nothing had happened. I examined the weapon closer but found nothing. Was _I_ even the one who made Virion appear out of nowhere? Why was I here? Because someone needed their kingdom saved? From what? Was I ever going to get answers? Was any of this even real? These questions and many others appeared in my head and came out of my mouth like so: “Wai— Wha— Bu— Huh?” I shook my head and turned my focus to the battlefield.

My eyes widened, and my mouth fell agape. The healer—a _child_ —caught an arrow in her chest. I stumbled back, taking many shallow breaths. I turned and sprinted back through the portal. I tripped not far from it and curled up into a ball, trying to take refuge in the soft fabric of my robe. There was no escape from this place. This wasn’t Hell. It was worse. It was war. Best case scenario, I had gone insane, and this is what my mind showed me. All the things I wanted were being given to me by a withered monkey’s paw. Could I even fix it? Any of it? Could I change reality like in a dream? Could I become sane again? Could I find the answers?

I lay there for probably two minutes, now calm. All I needed was a good cry, it seemed. I rolled onto my back, staring up at the low, rolling clouds. I was breathing deeply, feeling my entire body, and trying to focus on one thing at a time. How did I get here? That redheaded woman, Anna, said she summoned me. Why was I here? To save the kingdom. I got distracted by one of the clouds turning into Bart Simpson. I laughed to myself, thinking about Oneyplays. It seemed everything was back to normal for the most part.

The sound of footsteps approached. I turned towards their direction and found the four fighters approaching me. “Maxis! There you are! Where were you; we assumed the worst,” the redhead scolded me.

I quickly stood up and quietly said, “Sorry.”

“Doesn’t matter. Come on, we need to get back to Askr; the kingdom is being attacked.” Without leaving time for questions, she and the rest of the group started away. I hadn’t even realized how bad my feet hurt until I began following behind.

Like I said, war was worse than Hell. God could save anyone from Hell, but war didn’t care who was caught in its chaos. Bodies of men and some women lay scattered around the streets. I was beginning to panic again.

Virion gathered everyone but me around him, explaining that they were going to reuse that last strategy, but prioritize the enemy… troubadour, I think they called it? A healer on a horse, basically. They went off to battle, and I winced as an arrow hit Sharena’s shield. They kept continuing forward and were able to kill the archer. A blond man in dark armor and riding an even darker horse charged forward. I thought he would take the blonde’s head clean off with his sword, but she raised her spear, scaring the horse off track. An arrow sprouted from his shoulder, and he retreated back to the healer. A swordsman replaced the rider and engaged the group. However, an arrow in his head stopped the man from doing much damage. The horseman came back, this time with his helper right behind him. Virion shouted a command, and Anna ran past the horse soldier. She swung her axe into the healer’s horse, the two falling over. The woman screamed in pain as, I assume, her leg was broken. Anna’s axe smashed her skull, ending whatever pain she might have been in. The rider turned his horse and brought his sword across her back. Another arrow sprouted out of the rider’s lower back, and he retreated for good this time.

The others checked on the redhead who waved them off. She then picked up the healer’s staff and started towards me. She held it out to me and asked, “Do you know how to use a healing staff?”

I shook my head.

She sighed. “Alright. We’re going to help pick up whatever pieces we can, then head back to the castle.” She started away, and I didn’t know what to do with myself.


	2. A Brief Respite

We moved through a village, and we—Sharena mostly—were pelted with greetings. I don’t know exactly what I felt as we walked through the streets, but it sure wasn’t friendly. We emerged on the other side of the village and arrived at the bottom of a short yet wide hill that led up to a castle nestled in a small mountain range. “Welcome to Castle Hoenir,” Anna said without much fanfare. We were _all_ tired, it seemed. The redhead pushed open a broad set of wooden doors, and we all entered. The interior was… lacking. It was dark, cold, but liveable enough. Tall stone pillars lined the entrance hall. The ground was carved with intricate Celtic knots. The most prominent one being a torch or badge design in the center of the floor. A round glass window hung at the back of the room, letting in plenty of sunlight. Beneath the light were two separate doors to the left and the right. On my right-hand side, close to me, was an empty fountain. To the left was another sort of gravestone, this one being black and carved with a shining four-pointed star at the top and dancing lights leading up to the star. Something about it made it feel deader than it was as if it was supposed to light up or something. Further back from that was an empty notice board. And to the right of that was a sleeping owl on a sturdy perch.

Sharena quickly moved to the bird and scooped it up into her arms. As she brought it over to us, she said, “This is Feh, the official messenger owl of the Order of Heroes!” The owl blinked its eyes opened and looked at us. It snuggled back into Sharena’s arms and tried to drift back to sleep. “Sorry, she’s a bit tired, I guess.”

“’Tis just fine, Milady,” Virion spoke. “A lady always needs her beauty rest, no matter the species.”

_Is he flirting with a bird_ , I thought to myself.

Anna clapped a hand on both Virion’s and my shoulder. “I think this would be a good time to explain what’s going on and why you’re both here. Whatever questions you have, now’s the time to ask them.”

I stammered a bit before Virion asked his first question. “What is this miraculous country called?”

“Askr,” Alfonse spoke. “It’s a kingdom on the continent of Zenith. It was first established by King Líf many years ago, given to him by Askr, our dragon-god. As of now, my father, King Gustav, rules the land. Our kingdom is at war with the Emblian Empire, a nearby country ruled by Princess Veronica. Our two countries have a long-standing relationship that was, until now, perfectly fine. You see, the royalty of Askr has the ability to open gateways to other worlds. In contrast, the royalty of Embla has the ability to close the gateways that we open. I can’t understand why, but starting with Princess Veronica’s father, the Emblians have refused to close the gateways and instead invade the worlds, enslaving the Heroes there under the pretense of a magical contract. The contract, of course, prevents them from doing anything that isn’t an order directly from the one who placed the Hero under said contract. The Order of Heroes is dedicated to freeing these Heroes, but it’s not an easy task.”

“That’s right,” Anna interjected. “That’s why I summoned you here, Maxis. No one but the Great Hero of legend can summon Heroes. The help from you two has already been great, so I know that you’ll both be valuable assets!”

Virion bowed lowly and dramatically. “You have my most humble thanks, Lady Anna. And my bow at your command.”

“Thank you, Virion.” She turned to me. “How about you, Maxis?”

I shrugged and mumbled, “Sure.”

“Are you alright?”

I shrugged again.

“Hmm. I guess it has been an exciting day, so far. Sharena, could you help Maxis find a room, I think he could use a rest. In fact, bring him to that spare suite next to ours! Nothing but the best for our Great Hero, huh?”

My eyes drifted downwards at that.

Sharena grabbed me by the hand and dragged me along behind her. “Come on; you’ll love it,” she exclaimed as we ascended the four short steps and entered the door to the right. She led me through winding hallways, the only light sources being whatever sunlight was able to come through the windows. This place was in dire need of torches and carpeting. As we ascended a staircase, Sharena asked, “How do you like Askr so far?”

“’S fine,” I tried to say.

“O-oh.” We moved up another staircase. “Is it like your own world?”

“No.”

“…I— I see.” A third. “What’s your world like?”

“’S fine.”

“…Ah.” A fourth. “Are there not many castles in your world?”

“No.”

“Oh.” We stopped in front of a simple wooden door with a large ring handle. “Are you okay? If you want to talk, I can most certainly listen.”

“No. ‘M fine.”

Sharena lowered her head. “Oh.” She looked back up at me. “This is your room now. Mine is right next door, Alfonse’s is across the hall, and the commander’s is next to his. If you need anything, just say so, alright?”

“Sure.” I stepped in and realized that this wasn’t a bedroom. It was a suite like Anna said. Not quite an apartment, but large enough for more than one person. To my immediate right was what I could only guess to be a kitchenette; it lacked what would usually go in a kitchen back home, but it had the shape to be one. Beyond that was an arrangement of a loveseat, two chairs, a coffee table, and two end tables surrounding a wood fireplace. At the back of the room was a large glass set of doors leading out to a wide balcony. To my left were a set of near bare bookshelves. And beyond that was another door identical to the one behind me. I opened the door and found that it was the actual bedroom. In the far left corner was a twin-sized bed, flanked by a nightstand holding up an oil lamp. The wall to the right had a large window with drawn curtains, and to my immediate right was a large wardrobe. To the left was a dusty vanity. Everything must have been covered in dust.

I sat down on the bed and fell back, kicking up some of the filth. Not a single thought came to me before my aching feet, comfy robe, and fractured mind put me into a deep sleep.

* * *

I awoke to Sharena’s voice. It would have been a less than pleasant experience if she wasn’t whispering as she woke me. “Good afternoon, sleepy! We’re about to have lunch soon, and then we’re going to have a war council meeting. Oh, and I brought some clothes of Alfonse’s for you to wear so you can get out of that bathrobe.”

She was right; this robe hadn’t been washed for quite a while. My underwear was fresh, though. “Thanks.”

“It’s no problem at all. I’ll be waiting outside; it’s easy to get lost in here.”

“Sure.” She left the room, and I sat there for a while. I was still in this strange world, not knowing anything. I stood up, slipping Breidablik from one of the big pockets and taking off my robe. I brought it to the wardrobe and threw it in, not caring to use the hangers in there; it was empty, anyways. I took off my pajama pants and threw them in, too. I slipped the long sleeve shirt—tunic, I suppose—over my t-shirt and the pants on. They were itchy. I was used to wool socks, but they weren’t like this. I decided to just put up with it, though, because I didn’t want to pretend to be Arthur Dent anymore. I hadn’t been very good at it so far, anyways. I slipped the golden gun between my hip and the drawstring of the pants, pulling it tight.

Leaving the room, I looked around. The walls hadn’t shifted. I slowly crept towards the balcony, doing what I always did when it came to things like these. I peered over the edge then threw myself back into the room. Heights. I don’t know why I always looked down whenever I was high up, but whatever. I was vaguely glad that the floor hadn’t disappeared while I had my back turned. The carpet was nice and soft, too. Dusty, but soft. I stood up and shook my head. I was being ridiculous, if not childish. This wasn’t a dream—though I could be insane still—and this world felt Euclidian enough. It was the portals that were strange.

I found Sharena outside of my suite, and she smiled up at me. “You look good! Are you ready to go have lunch then?”

I nodded. “Mm-hm.”

“Great! Just follow me.” She led me down the four staircases, trying to break the awkward silence between us again. The answers I gave didn’t invite conversation. I obviously wasn’t fond of talking. I always thought people wouldn’t care to hear what I have to say because it was mostly about video games. I didn’t care a whole lot about other people either. Most conversations that I’ve experienced had primarily been one-sided, from my grandpa talking about “Sleddy’s new tractor” to a coworker talking about a friend getting the flu. I did have one friend who I could have a small conversation with, but he was off at college, and I didn’t want to bother him. I especially didn’t want to talk now, however, because I didn’t want to listen to two balloons mating.

Sharena held open a door for me, and I walked into a cafeteria made of cobblestones. The walls and floors were cobblestones, but the ceiling was wooden. To the left were food lines and a kitchen, and tables and benches were organized throughout the room. At the back were three big windows letting in some sun. Again, that was the only light source in the room. I cocked an eyebrow at the two newcomers in the room, a young boy with green hair and dark robes, burying himself in a book, and a young man with brown hair, a red cape, and a knife sticking out from behind his hip. “Mathew, Raigh,” Sharena called out as she waved them over. They approached, and the girl gestured to me. “This is Maxis, our brand new summoner!”

The brown-haired man stuck out his hand and said, “Maxis, huh? Name’s Mathew. I look forward to working with you.”

I shook his hand pathetically. “Mm-hm.”

The green-haired boy looked up from his book, sighing. “You can call me Raigh.” Without another word, he turned around and went back to his book.

I sat down at a separate table but still close enough to “converse.” Sharena moved into the kitchen and returned with bowls, spoons, and a large hot pad, setting down a bowl and spoon for each of us. When she set mine down, she said, with an ounce of worry, “We have plenty of room at our table.” I grunted in acknowledgment, grabbed my bowl, and sat to Virion’s right on the edge of the bench. Sharena came back with a large pot of steaming stew, saying, “Alright, everyone! Lunch is served!” She set it down and began taking bowls and dishing us up. I accepted my bowl without a sound and began to eat. It was good. It had meat, potatoes, onions, celery, the usual stew stuff. The others started talking amongst themselves, mostly about where each was from, their skills, and other things about being a Hero.

“Hey, Maxis,” Mathew spoke. I looked up at him. “Where are you from?”

“…Earth.”

“Earth? What you mean like the ground? I meant what world, what country?”

I shrugged. “The United States, I guess.”

“United States, huh? I’ve never heard of a country being named two words before.”

I grunted in acknowledgment as I lowered my head towards another spoonful of meat and potatoes.

“Well, if it’s united, then it must be great there.”

I grunted again, growing angrier, but trying to ignore it and everything else. Soon we all finished eating, and Sharena started collecting our bowls. “Maxis, did you want seconds,” she asked as she picked up my bowl. “There’s plenty left.”

“’M fine.”

“Alright then…”

“Everyone,” Alfonse spoke. “Commander Anna is waiting for us in the war room. Let us head there now.”

All present began to follow him out, myself in the back. We soon made it to a door and were let in by Alfonse. Anna was already inside, leaning over a large wooden table. I didn’t know what to expect from their war room, but I knew it wouldn’t look like the one in Dr. Strangelove. It was more cobblestones, a wooden ceiling, and bookshelves and wooden file cabinets outlined the room. There was even a chalkboard on the back wall. The only light source was an oil lamp on the table—it was surprisingly effective, too. Everyone but Raigh, who was still transfixed by his book, and I gathered around the table. That is until Sharena waved me over. “As most of you know,” Anna started. “The World of Mystery was invaded, and Princess Minerva was put under contract.” Everyone nodded in understanding. “Prince Marth is now under contract.”

“What,” Alfonse gasped out. “But how?! When?!”

“As we were warding off Prince Xander. Princess Veronica was clever doing that while we were distracted, I admit. She’ll likely be enslaving more Heroes as we free the ones she currently has.”

“This is not good… We don’t have the resources to compete, and Prince Marth alone could devastate our kingdom. Of all the Heroes…”

“We can do it,” Sharena exclaimed as she clenched her gloved fists in front of herself. “No matter how many Heroes Princess Veronica throws at us, we have the greatest Hero here to aid us,” she said as she clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Right, Maxis?”

I grit my teeth together. “How?”

“By… summoning, of course.”

“I can’t. I tried.”

“What?! But…! What about Virion?”

“Summoned,” Anna spoke. “I know he didn’t walk out of the World of Awakening.”

“Then why couldn’t I do it later?”

Anna raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware that you tried. Breidablik has specific requirements for it to work. You need orbs—not something we have a lot of—and Heroes can only be summoned at the Summoning Ruins, the same place I summoned you at.”

“Then why don’t _you_ do it?”

“Because we can’t wield Breidablik. We don’t know how to properly, and it’s meant for you.”

I pulled the gun from my waist and held it up, pulling the trigger repeatedly and impatiently, trigger discipline the furthest thing from my mind. I threw the weapon to Anna, muzzle control also forgotten. “There.”

She eyed the weapon quizzically, holding how I did. Her finger tensed, but the trigger didn’t move. “It’s not working. Was there something else you did?”

“Is the safety on?”

“The what?”

“Give it here.” She handed the gun back to me, and I looked it over thoroughly. It was a mess. Every law of good gun design was broken. It lacked a slide, a safety, and a magazine release button. It had an annoying loop on the entire bottom half of the grip, a guard around the whole weapon as if it was trying to be a rapier and a foregrip, and the muzzle was somewhat shaped like a cartoon keyhole. The caliber was that of a musket’s, nearly an inch. The extra space underneath the actual barrel was an excellent way to push a ball out and let it drop to the ground in front of you. “Who made this?!”

“Maxis, calm down,” Anna said, clearly starting to lose her patience. “What’s wrong?”

“This whole _thing_ is wrong!” I ranted about the previously mentioned flaws to her and finished with, “Whoever made it was an idiot!”

Anna rolled her eyes. “Maxis, Breidablik was made by the gods. I’m sure their design is just fine.”

“ _Fine_. Whatever.” I pulled the trigger twice more, making sure there were no issues otherwise. It wasn’t built like an M1911, so it didn’t have grip and thumb safeties. I handed it back to Anna. “Try again.”

She pointed it down at the table, trying to pull the trigger again. “It won’t budge.”

“Could I try it,” Sharena asked. She accepted the weapon from the commander and attempted to get the trigger to move. It didn’t work. “That’s really hard! You must be really strong, Maxis!”

“I’m not.”

“Allow me to try, Princess,” Virion said. “After all, archery requires _immense_ finger strength.” He took the weapon from the girl, but even he couldn’t get it to move. “How very queer…!”

I took the weapon from him and started swinging it around and pulling the trigger, making sure something wasn’t falling out of place and preventing the trigger from being pulled. It moved every time I pulled it, no matter the positioning. It couldn’t be ID locked, could it? “Why can’t you guys use it?”

“Maxis, it was made for _you_ ,” Anna said.

I shook my head angrily. “So, that’s why you guys need me? To summon people? Then what else am I supposed to do, sit around in my room?

“No. Absolutely not. I won’t let any member of the Order sit around.”

“Mayhaps I can teach him strategy,” Virion asked.

“That’s an excellent idea. It’ll keep you out of harm’s way and busy.”

“Hold on,” I interrupted. “I can’t play _chess_.”

“Nonsense! I shall teach you! There are many other strategy games, as well!” Virion clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Though teaching you games is not the point. The point is teaching you how to win battles.”

“He’s right, you know,” Anna spoke. “You can practice as we take back the World of Mystery. Come on, everyone; we’re leaving for the sake of the worlds!”


	3. Mystery

I expected us to emerge at the same place as last time we went through the portal but was startled to find completely different terrain. We were surrounded by ocean. To our right was a mountain in front of us was a pond or a lake, and there were trees on either side of a little inlet. Though if someone told me that I was wrong, I would have believed them. Across the tiny island were three people. One on a horse, another on foot, and another on a pegasus. The cavalryman was old, his late fifties or early sixties, if I had to guess, but I was never good with ages. He wore ornate purple armor with spikes on his shoulders, a long red cape, and his hair was completely white. He had a sword at his hip but held a lance pointed at the ground at the moment. The swordsman was behind the pond, and he wore plenty of royal blue clothing. His hair was the same color, but his cape was red on the inside. He stood ready with a fancy sword, the hilt of which curved upwards drastically. The pegasus rider wore red, had hair as blue as the swordsman’s, and wielded a large hunk of metal that looked like it could do some damage. The landscape, compared to the people, was… out of scale and overall… this place just wasn’t right. It was unexplainable as to why or how I knew that, but everyone else knew it too. “This… isn’t right,” Alfonse spoke.

“I agree, but… I don’t understand why,” Sharena added. “It’s… weird!”

“Could this be the result of the contracts,” Anna asked, mostly to herself. “But what would they have to do the world being altered?”

“I think we’re on…Talys, but it looks nothing like the island recorded in our library…”

“It doesn’t even _feel_ right,” Sharena muttered.

“Nevermind that for now,” Anna interrupted. “Virion, do you have a plan?”

“Of course, Lady Anna. However, Maxis, would you like to see if you can come up with one on your own?”

I shrugged. “I guess.”

“Excellent.” Virion drew an arrow from his quiver and started drawing on a little bare patch. It looked like what we were seeing, but from a top-down view with us on the left and the contracted Heroes on the right. He drew little symbols that I think were supposed to represent the enemies’ weapons and transportation methods. He then looked up to me and said, “You have full control of everyone here, Maxis. Just tell me the who, what, where, when, and how of your movements. The why would also be appreciated.”

I shrugged. “I dunno.”

“I… see. Perhaps I might explain something that will help you with your decision? The weapon triangle is the most fundamental part of every strategy.”

“He’s right, you know,” Anna interjected. She took the arrow from Virion and started drawing a separate diagram. It looked a bit like a recycling symbol, but it had a sword at the top, an axe to the right, and a lance to the left. An arrow pointed from one weapon to the next, a bit like rock, paper, scissors. “Swords have an advantage over axes, axes over lances, and lances over swords. Hence the name weapon triangle.”

“But, Commander,” Sharena started with a bright smile. “That’s a circle.” Seeing as she didn’t get any positive response, she coughed into her glove. “S-sorry…”

“So anyways, it’s like rock, paper, scissors?”

Anna cocked an eyebrow. “Scissors?”

“Nevermind. But… an axe can break a lance shaft easily, a lance has extra range over a sword, and a sword can… thrust?”

“That’s right.”

“Though that’s not to say that a superior swordsman can overtake a lancer.”

“Er, yeah, I suppose. It’s more of a general guideline that works most of the time. Another thing to watch out for is weapon range. Obviously, Alfonse, Sharena, and I can hit what’s right in front of us, but Virion, Mathew, and Raigh can’t.”

“Why’s that? Shouldn’t a knife be a good enough melee weapon?”

Anna shook her head. “It’s not about killing the enemy, it’s about keeping yourself and your allies safe. Sure, they can probably hit things at point-blank range, but that puts them at risk of just being hit again, and if they miss, there’s no telling where a knife or arrow could end up. And Raigh could possibly hurt himself if his opponent is too close.”

“I’m not a _beginner_ ,” Raigh scoffed.

“With what,” I asked.

“A _spell_ , obviously,” he replied as he looked up at me like I was stupid.

“What, like magic?”

“Gods, you’re dumb. _Yes! Magic!_ ”

“’Lright, jeez.” I looked back at Virion’s little battlefield. “I guess I’d have Anna take on the cavalryman, er, wait. Anna, can you even fight someone on a horse?”

“I admit it could be easier, but I’ll be fine, don’t worry. Remind me to teach you some more about stuff like that once we get back to the castle.”

“’Lright, I guess. Anna would take on the cavalryman, then Sharena could take care of the swordsmen. Though, Virion, if you could, you should take care of the pegasus rider.”

“Alright,” the man spoke. He drew Anna’s symbols left of the cavalryman’s and smoothed out the opponent’s symbols. Sharena’s symbols went to the left of Anna’s, then his own under Anna’s. I raised an eyebrow as he erased Anna’s symbols and put the swordman’s to the right of where hers had been. He then wiped his own before putting the pegasus rider’s to the right of his. “What next?”

“Hey, wait, is Anna just _dead now_?”

“Goodness, no! I’m only removing them from battle in accordance with the weapon triangle. Having the weapon triangle be unchallengeable is simply for simplicity’s sake. Er, ah. Anyways, having each unit only able to take one hit is just to make it easier on your ability to understand. But would you like a do-over?”

“I guess that makes sense… Yeah, I want a do-over. And was that shot too far?”

He erased the symbols, then put the enemies’ back into their original position. “I’m afraid so. Think about it like this,” Virion said as he added grid lines to his map. “Every unit on a battlefield has a limit to its range and mobility. As we discussed, weapons have ranges to them, but so do people and animals.” He pointed to the picture of a horse’s head. “A horse can carry its rider…”

“Three spaces, I’d say,” Anna supplied.

“Yes, that sounds reasonable,” Virion replied as he counted spaces wordlessly. He ended on a square on the edge of his map. “This is the maximum range that a cavalier can attack. Three squares to move and then attacking an adjacent one. He pointed to the picture of a boot, then started to drag a line up and over the pond. “Two spaces for an infantryman.” He dragged multiple lines from the wing symbol through two spaces each. “Two for a flying unit. In addition, they are not stopped by mountains, water, or forests. The only drawback is that they are highly weak to arrows, of course.”

“Yeah, wounded animals usually don’t fly, if they can avoid it…” I thought some more. “What happens if Sharena fights another lance wielder?”

“Hmm. Let’s say they can each take another hit, but if the other lancer attacks first, then Sharena can’t fight anymore and vice versa,” Anna said.

“So everyone has two health, but the weapon triangle doubles damage?”

“What?”

“Nothing. And what if a sword user hits her after she gets hit by a lancer? Does she just not take damage?”

Anna looked at me, confusedly before replying. “Suuure.”

“Okay, so then Sharena might be able to handle everything herself.”

“No. That is not the case,” the redhead replied sternly. “No matter what, she’s still going to get wounded, and if she gets enough wounds, she’ll die.”

“Yeah, I just… But even if we try to get back as far as possible, that cavalier can still go after a second person, and I don’t think he’s going to pick you to attack.”

Anna sighed. “I suppose… So then what?”

“Uh… Then…” I took the arrow from Virion and drew my own little symbols. A sword behind an axe, a lance under the axe, then a bow behind the lance. “That’s what I want to do.”

“Do you mean you want us to wait,” Virion asked as he raised his eyebrows. “Why?”

“What else is there to do? Anna will get killed by that swordsman, and Sharena can’t do everything herself. This seems like the best solution.”

Virion raised a hand to his chin. “I see…! Mayhaps you’re right.” He took the arrow from me then drew the cavalier to the right of my lance, the swordsman above the pond, and the pegasus rider on the inlet. I had Anna take down the horseman, moved Sharena one space away from the swordsman, and Virion one space down to eliminate the pegasus rider. Virion nodded slowly. “This is excellent work for your first time, Maxis.”

“It’s easy once you know what’s going on.”

“So this is our plan,” Anna asked.

“Indeed it is,” Virion spoke.

“Alright. To arms, everyone!” They all rushed off and followed my instructions without much problem. Sharena was able to parry the cavalier’s lance and break through his defenses. Then the pegasus rider moved over the inlet, and the swordsman began to run around the pond. Virion sent an arrow towards the rider, and Sharena quickly intercepted the swordsman. The enemies moved as Virion predicted, and no one was severely injured. Unless they weren’t on our side, of course.

Sharena ran towards us and threw her arms around me. I tensed. “We did it! We did it, and it’s all thanks to you, Maxis!”

“Yes,” Alfonse spoke. “With tactics like that, you’ll easily be known far and wide. Even if you weren’t the Great Hero.”

“And I’ll be your number one fan!”

I stammered a bit and blinked my eyes. Sharena was gone. Alfonse was gone. The whole terrain had changed again. A sprawling field dotted with trees was in front of me. I stumbled back slightly, bumping into someone. I whipped around to find Anna and the others. “Maxis! Thank the gods that you’re still here. I don’t know what happened, but we were warped to a completely different place in the blink of an eye, it seems.” After a silent beat had passed, I began stumbling backwards again. I managed to stop myself from hitting the ground too hard, but I felt… odd. No, I felt fine, but I felt like I was supposed to have a headache or something. “Hey! Are you alright?!”

“Wha—?! What’s happening…,” I breathed out.

“I don’t know, but that’s not supposed to happen.”

“I…! I want to go home…!”

“H-hold on…! I…!” Anna sighed.

Sharena knelt down beside me. “Maxis?” Her voice was pleasant. Innocent. Childlike. “What’s wrong?”

I pushed the balls of my hands into my eyes. “Nothing makes sense…!” I didn’t want to cry. “This whole place is non-euclidian…!” I couldn’t cry. “I half expect to turn around and find the Thing from the Stars lumbering towards me through twisting halls…”

“Are you alright…?”

I removed my hands from my eyes and gave an exhausted laugh. “No,” I breathed out with a tired smile. I pushed myself up, looking around. Things were… normal. The river, two bridges, swordsman and axeman on those bridges, and archer behind the river… were all… normal. I took a deep breath. The color of madness was unnatural. The scenery… was… natural. My mind was shattered… but the pieces had fallen into place. At that moment, I think, I had accepted that my life had changed. No matter what happened next, no matter why it happened, I would accept it without question. “I’m just fine now.”

“Are you sure?”

“No.” I looked at the battlefield. “Sharena, let that swordsman come to you, Alfonse will let the axeman come to him, then Virion will take on the archer.”

“O… Okay.”

Sharena stood up and waited for the swordsman to approach. She quickly blocked two of his attacks before cutting him down. Alfonse let the axe fighter approach, parrying the man’s swing and ending the man’s life. With one arrow, Virion killed the enemy archer. I sighed and closed my eyes. A bridge going over a flowing river led to a desert. Raigh combated a magic user, Anna fought another, and their healer fled. I blinked to find two cavaliers, an archer, and a pegasus rider. Virion dueled the archer, Sharena fought off one of the cavaliers, and Anna held her own against the last two enemies. I blinked one last time to find plenty of familiar faces on an island surrounded by water. They weren’t easy to reach, but Raigh and Virion were able to counter the enemy magician and archer, respectively. The pegasus rider and the swordsman from when we first arrived in this world were quickly dealt with by Virion and Sharena, respectively.

I closed my eyes until Anna shook me gently. “You alright? It’s time for us to leave.” I nodded with a tired smile on my face and followed them through another portal. I breathed a relieved sigh as I found myself in Askr once more. Anna explained to us that there would likely be another world to take back soon, and Mathew volunteered to spy on the portals. Anna agreed then began to lead everyone back to the castle. I followed behind at my own slow pace. I don’t remember dinner at all, but I remember that I was focused on making sure that I was calm. I crashed into bed and fell asleep immediately.


	4. Lessons Learned

I awoke in a strange land for the second time. I pushed myself up quietly. I took a deep breath as I realized that I was still in Askr. I looked down to find the dark blue tunic and wool pants that were lent to me. I leaned back into the bed, letting my mind wander. I don’t know how long I was waiting there before someone knocked on my bedroom door. I ignored Sharena’s voice on the other side; as I mentioned before, I didn’t like conversing. She entered anyways. “Oh, you are awake! We all thought you were lost. Come on; everyone is waiting for you at breakfast.” I sighed as I swung myself out of bed and kicked on my slippers. I followed her downstairs silently, grunting in response to the few questions she asked me. She pushed open the door to the mess hall, and I followed her inside. Everyone was already at least halfway through each of their omelets. “Hey,” Sharena whined. “We said we were going to wait for Maxis!”  
Anna shook her head. “The food was getting cold, and we didn’t want to eat cold food.”  
The blonde lowered her head slightly and turned to me. “Sorry, Maxis, I was really hoping we could eat together.”  
“’S fine.” We sat down and began eating our omelets. I usually didn’t like eggs anymore, but it tasted a bit better for some reason. I still wasn’t big on sausage, though.  
“Sorry that it’s cold, too.”  
“’S fine.”  
“Hey, Maxis,” Anna spoke. “After breakfast, I want you to follow me down to the war room so I can teach you more about tactics.”  
“’Lright.”  
“Can I come, too,” Sharena asked excitedly.  
Anna shrugged and smiled. “Sure. It will be a good experience for you.” A while later, Sharena and I finished our breakfast and followed after Anna. Sharena and I sat at the war table as the red-head grabbed a piece of chalk and began writing on the chalkboard. “Weapons… outside… the… weapon… triangle. Now! As I’m sure both of you know, the weapon triangle consists of swords, axes, and lances. Everything else falls outside.” The blonde girl beside me raised her hand. “Yes, Sharena?”  
“Isn’t there a magic triangle, as well?”  
“There is! Fire and dark magic beat wind magic, wind magic beats lightning, lightning beats fire and dark, yadda, yadda, yadda. Although come to think of it, I think I’ve seen the two triangles overlap… Anyway, the weapons outside of the triangles are as follows: Bows, daggers, and staves. If we assigned colors to the weapons inside the triangles, these ones would be gray. Of course, staves aren’t necessarily weapons, which brings us to our next topic: Healers are for healing, and fighters are for fighting.”  
Sharena raised her hand again. “Why would healers be used for anything else?”  
“Good question! Some staves can be used to weaken the enemy instead of heal allies. Not harm, though. The staves I’m referring to can make enemies weaker or slower. Even induce a temporary state of panic. Bows and daggers, however, are still proper weapons. Er, actually, daggers are mostly used to weaken foes by digging through armor and draining magic resistance. Bows, as we’ve seen, are suitable for taking down fliers. The number one common occurrence between the three is their long range. I believe we discussed that, though?” I nodded. “Good. We’ve already talked about how far a unit can move, but I’d like to inform you of the additional rules to movement. Infantry are slowed by forests, taking a while to get into one. Cavalry can’t enter forests at all. Fliers, of course, go right over them, and the slow movement of armored units means that they’ll take the same amount of time to enter a forest as an infantry unit.  
“Oh! That’s another important thing! There are two different kinds of attacks, physical and magical. Physical involves everything but staves and tomes, and magic, of course, means only tomes and staves. We call the resistance to these, defense and resistance. One’s defense can be raised by equipping armor and training to block attacks. Resistance is built by… well, it isn’t easy. You just have to take magical attacks until you get used to them. Another thing! Your enemy could be faster than you, so be careful. They could dodge or parry your attack, get in your blindspot, and hit you more times than you can count as a result. It’s important to understand your enemy’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as your own.”  
“Sun Tzu said that,” I interrupted. “Then you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.”  
Anna raised her eyebrows. “That’s exactly right. Is Sun Tzu a warrior from your world or a tactician, maybe?”  
I shrugged. “He wrote the Art of War. That’s all I know.”  
“He must have been really smart,” Sharena spoke.  
“I’m sure he was.”  
“Either way,” Anna interrupted. “Let’s get back to the lesson; then we can talk about Sun Tzu afterward.”  
“Oh, sorry, commander!”  
“That’s alright, Sharena. Now, where was I? Ah, weapon types would be a good topic! Maxis, you’ve seen the weapons that Alfonse, Sharena, and I use, right?”  
“Mm-hm.”  
“Those are our personal weapons; you’ll never find one that will match any of them—unless it’s fake, of course. But there are many other weapons. There are weapons deemed ‘killers,’ ‘brave,’ ‘jewel,’ and different ones for armored foes. ‘Killers’ are particularly sharp or even serrated, making inflicted wounds even worse than usual. ‘Brave’ weapons are odd; users can strike twice when they attack first but get struck twice when they don’t—something I don’t understand. ‘Jewel’ weapons are even weirder though; they’re colored and seem to make the weapon triangle even more effective.”  
“Maybe it’s magic,” Sharena supplied.  
“Yeah, you’re probably right… Anyway, these weapons each have a situational niche. It’s essential to take note of them and know which one to choose for the situation. I think that’s everything to go over. Any questions?” Sharena shook her head vigorously, and I shrugged before shaking my head as well. “Good. If you need any more info, you know where to me. Er, in my office, that is. And Alfonse is usually in the library, but he’s not really a conversationalist. Anyways, I have some work to do. Have a good rest of your day, you two.” At that, the red-head left the room.  
“What did you think, Maxis,” Sharena spoke beside me.  
I winced a little. “I dunno. It was fine.”  
“Hey, I know! Let’s go to the library! Maybe we can learn more about tactics there!”  
“Sure.”  
We made our way through winding halls until Sharena opened a door. I entered behind her and raised my eyebrows at the sight. It wasn’t impressive, per se, but the overall aesthetic was unlike any library I had entered back home. It was old to put it simply. But it wasn’t so simple. It was organized, but haphazard; dusty, but not neglected; empty, but not lifeless. The floor was wooden, the walls were bookshelves, and the ceiling was shaped like a church’s, a large chandelier that had seen better days hanging above. There was even a second story accessed by a staircase in the back of the large room. The bookshelves that surrounded us were stocked, but not with much, I would say. Not to mention dusty, like I said, with more dust on some shelves than others.   
“Ah! Hello, Brother,” Sharena spoke as she noticed the blue-haired prince pouring over a book. A notably tall stack of the things sitting on the table that he was standing over. “I thought we might find you here!”  
“Hello, Sharena. Hello, summoner,” Alfonse greeted with a deep bow. “How does the day find the both of you?”  
We both responded with ’good, ’ but one of us gave their answer with a lot more enthusiasm. “We were hoping to find some books on strategy.”  
“Truly? It's good to hear that you are taking an interest in such a thing, Sharena. Though I’m afraid that I don't know where such books are…”  
“Really? Well, that's no good! Come on, Maxis, let's go see if we can find them!”  
“Sure.” Sharena moved to the nearest shelf and began scanning for something useful. I followed after her and started reading the spines. I hadn't given it much thought, but it looked like every book was written in English.   
There was The Dragons of Khadein, The Butcher Slave, Thunder on the Hoshidan Plains, The Many Deaths of a Single Priest… I pulled out the last one and looked at the cover. It showed what appeared to be a bearded priest trying to bludgeon an identical priest with a wooden staff. Must be the same guy. I slipped the book back into its spot.  
“Er, Sharena,” Alfonse spoke. “I believe that those are all fiction.”  
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess you’re right.” She moved down the shelves, scanning the titles. I followed behind, not caring much for gawking at the selection.  
Alfonse must have realized my indifference when he approached us. “Er, Sharena, I believe that it would take far too long to find anything; the library is in desperate need of sorting.”  
“Oh, yeah…” The blonde turned towards me. “Sorry, Maxis, but I guess we won’t be able to find anything.”  
“I’ll let both of you know if I find anything. For now, you should explore the rest of the castle.”  
“Ooh, yeah! Great idea, Brother! C’mon, Maxis! Let me show you around!”


	5. Summoning

“Meeting in the war room! Right now,” Anna called out repeatedly as she quickly moved through the halls.  
Sharena turned away from the source to me. “Sounds urgent; let’s go.” I nodded as I started following behind her.   
When we arrived, Anna began. “Good, you’re here. Matthew just got back. The World of Conquest is next on our list.”  
“Conquest,” Alfonse breathed out. “But we freed Prince Xander, did we not?”  
Anna nodded. “We did.”  
Matthew shook his head. “Then, he went back. Let Princess Veronica put him under contract again. This time with his siblings and all their retainers.”  
“Maxis, we’re going to need back up on this one,” Anna said as she tossed a small thatch bag to me.  
I caught it and opened it. “Marbles?” I took one out to examine it better. It was one of the large ones used for shooting at smaller ones, and the inside of it was decorated in a miasma of color.  
“Those are orbs. Meant for summoning Heroes, as you did. I’d like for you to use them before we head into battle.”  
“Sure.”  
________________________________________  
We arrived at the summoning grounds sometime about noon. I didn’t know what I was doing, but everyone else expected the opposite. I turned Breidablik over in my hands, looking for some sort of magazine release button. Giving up on that, I grabbed the knob at the bottom of the weapon and pulled. It instead twisted and spiraled open, revealing a glass tube with a hole for the orbs. It was a creative mechanism, but the magazine was stuck to the gun. If I wanted to change magazines, I would have to break something. Though the relic wasn’t designed by anyone with any practical firearms knowledge, was it? More than likely, it wasn’t for combat at all. I pushed in some orbs until it held its maximum of five shots. I slid the magazine shut and scanned for a target. There was none, but I was thinking like I was at a shooting range. I should’ve been thinking like a god who pretends to know how to use a gun.  
I aimed at the hole in the tree engraved into the tombstone in the middle of the summoning grounds. A mess of words, but that’s what happened. I pulled the trigger. A flash of light erupted from the barrel, and five colored lights swirled their way into the hole. A red, glass sphere about the size of a softball materialized in the hole. A visible circle of white smoke blew up and away from the tombstone. Blue light passed through the engraved tree and shot upwards in a blinding flash. Once we could see again, a scantily clad, pink-haired woman with a sword at her hip stood in front of the tombstone.  
She let out a relatively soft shriek and covered her face with her hands. “Wha—?! Where am I?! Please don’t look!” I admit that I was already looking down and away from her once I noticed her lack of clothing, but that was of my own volition. I generally didn’t look at people, though I cast my gaze towards the others because I didn’t know what I was doing.  
Alfonse stepped forward. “Lady Olivia, we apologize for summoning you so suddenly, but it is of the utmost urgency.”  
“Wh-what? Who are you? How do you know my name?”  
“My name is Prince Alfonse of the kingdom of Askr. Our world connects to many others and records the history of each of them, including yours. We beg of you to aid us in our time of need. Even one Hero’s skills would be a great boon to our kingdom. Will you join us?”  
“Hero? No, I’m just a dancer. And not a very good one…”  
“No way,” Sharena interrupted. “You’re a great dancer! I just know it!”  
Olivia fidgeted in place and looked down at the ground at the praise. When she looked back up, her eyes widened. “Lord Virion?!”  
Virion stepped forward. “Hello, Lady Olivia! I apologize for not making my presence known before; I’m sure a familiar face would have done wonders to ease your beautiful face. But I’m afraid that we must skip the pleasantries for now; Prince Alfonse’s words ring true—and I know that your dancing skills are superb! So will you be joining us?”  
“I-I suppose…”  
“Thank you,” Alfonse breathed out. “I can assure you that you will be among allies.”  
Olivia moved away and stood with all the others, on the end behind Virion. I turned back to the tombstone and readied Breidablik. I pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. I pulled it back, examining it for a jam, but then I remembered that it was made by someone that shouldn’t have anything to do with guns—whoever that was. Pulling the “mag” “out,” I found that all the orbs were gone and a liquid identical to the inner decor clung and moved around at the top of the tube, ignoring gravity completely. I loaded more orbs, only able to load four this time. I readied it again and pulled the trigger. Light shot forth, this time into a blue ball. After the blinding light disappeared, another woman appeared. She looked similar to the other, wearing less than optimal clothing, had long, long aqua blue hair, and amber eyes. Not to mention her bare feet and the lance in her hand. “Ah! What’s—? Where am I?”  
Alfonse gasped nearly inaudibly. “Lady Azura,” he spoke as he lowered himself to one knee, everyone else but me following suit after a moment. “We apologize for summoning you here so unexpectedly. However, we are in desperate need of your help. Our kingdom, Askr, is at war with Embla. Our world connects to many others, and the Emblians intend to enslave all the Heroes in each of them. Your aid would be of great help to us.”  
“I see… I will help then.”  
“You will? Thank you so very much!”  
Azura moved to stand with the others, though she cast glances in just about every direction. I turned back to the task at hand and dropped the mag. The four orbs were missing, but the liquid remained. I loaded four more orbs and readied myself. The sphere was green this time, and an aged soldier in black armor appeared before us. He sat atop a horse, and an axe hung from his hand. He simply cocked an eyebrow drastically at his new situation.  
“Sir Gunter,” Azura spoke before Alfonse could. “It is good to see you here!”  
“Lady Azura? Yes, it is. What’s going on, may I ask?”  
“It seems that this group needs our help. I believe that we can lend our aid.”  
“I see… Alright, then.” He moved towards the group and cast his own glances around.   
I loaded four more and created another green sphere. A muscular man with a great mustache and his own axe appeared. “Hm? What’s going on?”  
“Sir Bartre,” Alfonse spoke. Rinse and repeat. “Will you aid us?”  
The buff man crossed his arms. “Hm. Can’t say I ever imagined being called to battle again, but I wouldn’t mind it. Let’s do it!”  
Alfonse thanked him as the burly man approached. I turned my attention back to summoning. Opening the mag again, I cocked an eyebrow at the doubled amount of magic liquid in the tube. I loaded the last three orbs from the pouch, satisfied that I had the perfect amount. The final summoning sphere was gray. A red-haired little girl in a white dress and holding a staff appeared before me. “You’re—!”  
“Huh? Ah! You’re the people that saved me!” Without warning, she dashed towards me and hugged me, her arms wrapped around my hips. “Thank you!” She looked up at me. “You’re trying to save others, right? I wanna help you!”  
I looked back at the others. Everyone was just as, if not more, surprised than me. Sharena was the first to approach. “Princess Maria! We would be honored to have your help!”  
I moved away, and Anna came to join me. “Something wrong,” she asked.  
“She’s just a kid,” I said lowly.  
“I know, but Heroes are Heroes.”  
“You’re going to let her fight?!”  
“No way! We’re not monsters!”  
“Then, we should send her home if we can.”  
“I would agree, but she wants to help. And besides, who’s to say that she won’t be in even more danger in her home world? Just keep her by your side; you're both noncombatants. On top of all that, we could use a healer period.”  
“…Fine.”  
“Thank you.” Anna turned to everyone else. “Listen up, everyone! I know it’s sudden, but we’re headed into battle! The royalty of Nohr needs our help!”  
“Pardon,” Gunter spoke. “But what do you mean? The Nohrian royals are formidable fighters, and their retainers are always at their sides. What could have befallen them that would call for outside aid?”  
“I’m afraid it connects to why we need your help,” Alfonse replied. “Our kingdom is at odds with the neighboring empire of Embla. They seek to enslave as many Heroes as possible and destroy our kingdom. I mean no offense when I say this, but Prince Xander has voluntarily entered himself, his siblings, and their retainers into one of Princess Veronica’s insidious contracts.”  
“What,” Azura gasped. “Why would Xander do such a thing?!”  
“We don’t know either,” Anna spoke. “But there’s only one way to find out, and that’s to free him.”  
________________________________________  
We emerged from the gateway in a field with a river splitting it. Across said river was what I assumed was Xander’s siblings, A dangerous-looking lavender-haired woman on a wyvern wielding an axe, a blond boy on a horse with a tome clutched to his person, and an even younger blonde girl on a horse clutching a staff. Xander himself was across another bridge. “You came,” he spoke. “I had hoped that you wouldn’t, but I couldn’t deny the fact that you would. Then come! Attack us when you are ready!”  
“What’s the plan, Maxis,” Anna asked without facing me.  
“You’re the tactician,” Azura asked me fairly aggressively.  
I raised a shoulder and let it fall.  
“Yep,” Sharena answered for me. “And a great one at that!”  
“I wish to face Xander,” Azura spoke. “I must know why he gave himself so easily to the empire.”  
I looked at her, scanning up and down. “You’re not armored.”  
“I know that, but I’m more than capable of facing him. I know him well.”  
“Anything can happen on the battlefield.”  
“…Fine.”  
“Sharena, you’ll face him.”  
“Got it,” the blonde said.  
“Alfonse, protect Virion from the wyvern rider. Virion, take care of the tome wielder.”  
“Understood.”  
“I should inform you that their names are Camilla and Leo, respectively,” Gunter told me.  
“Got it.”  
“And what of Elise,” Azura asked. “The troubadour.”  
“She’ll flee.”  
“I wouldn’t count on it, but I hope so…”  
“And what about the rest of us,” Anna asked.  
“On standby.”  
“Ahhh,” Virion sighed. “Just one lesson and he’s already a master of his craft. The mark of a fantastic teacher!”  
I watched as everyone moved to start the battle.   
Alfonse moved into a small wood with Virion lying in wait just on the border. Sharena readied herself before the bridge. Xander charged, and his horse skidded to a halt before Sharena. He swung his sword downward, and Sharena lifted her shield. The two metals clanged together, and Sharena thrust her lance up at Xander. The rider pulled his horse to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike. Sharena sidestepped and thrust her lance at Xander again. This time the prince wasn’t quick enough to evade, and the lance dug into his ribs. He swung his sword down, catching the girl on the arm, leaving a deep cut. Sharena stabbed again, but Xander guided his horse away. He charged again, and Sharena once more blocked his strike. She thrust her lance up and punctured his lung. Xander let go of his reins to grasp at the wound. His horse moved unexpectedly, and he fell to the ground in a heap.


	6. & Conquering

In the blink of an eye, we were on a new battlefield, everyone once again by my side. A large wall stood in front of us. At first glance, it appeared unguarded, but there had to be soldiers through the large, open gate in the middle.

“What’s going on? What happened,” Azura asked.

“I believe we were victorious,” Alfonse spoke.

“And how did we get here? Are we really at the border wall?”

“It would seem so,” Anna answered. “We’re not sure why, but that’s what’s been happening in every conquered world we’ve been in. We also don’t know if it’s dangerous or not, but better safe than sorry.”

“It’s too quiet,” Matthew thought aloud. “I’ll go scout ahead; there’s no way we’re alone.”

“Be careful,” Sharena told him as he started away.

“Of course, Princess,” he said with a casual two-finger salute.

“Miss Anna,” Gunter spoke. “What can you tell us of these ‘contracts,’ that you spoke of?”

“Commander Anna, if you want to use a title,” the red-head replied. “The contracts force the Heroes under them to do whatever Princess Veronica’s bidding. We don’t know how she does it, but she _is_ a powerful mage.”

“And a _brat_ ,” Sharena interrupted. “I’ll bet _that’s_ how she gets all of those Heroes under her control.”

“Calm down, Sharena. There’s no point in getting mad about it.” Anna turned back to the older man. “Princess Veronica _is_ young, though. Likely about… fifteen? At least?”

I cocked an eyebrow at that.

“Ah, anyway, we can only free them if we defeat them in combat. The contract will protect the Heroes from a mortal blow, but after that, that protection is gone.”

“I see,” Gunter spoke.

“But that still means that we need to defeat Xander,” Azura added.

A few moments passed before someone cleared their throat from beside me. My eyes flicked up to see Bartre leaning on his axe. “So, Maxis, how long have you been with the Order?”

I shrugged. “A day.”

“Really? I’ve heard you’ve done some pretty incredible things in that short span of time.”

“Hm.”

“Don’t you think so?”

I shrugged again. “I dunno.”

“Hmm.”

We loitered around for a bit longer until Matthew returned. “There’s four of them: an armored woman, an axe fighter, and two troubadours.”

“Was one of the troubadours a young girl,” Gunter asked.

“Yeah, the one from our last battle.”

“Then we are facing off against Princess Elise and her retainers, it seems.”

“Sounds like it,” Matthew murmured as he knelt down and started drafting up the battlefield in the dirt with his knife. “Armor on the left… axe on the right! What do you want to do, Maxis?”

I moved to look over his drawing and examined it for a few moments before a hand clapped my shoulder. “I can take care of the knight,” Bartre spoke with a toothless grin.

I looked back at the crude drawing. “Fine. Alfonse should take care of the axe-wielder.”

“Understood,” the swordsman spoke.

“Maxis,” Anna interrupted. “I think Raigh would do well against… Effie, is it,” she asked Gunter.

“Correct,” he replied.

The boy—who I had completely forgotten about until now—scoffed as he continued reading his book. “No. Too young.”

“I’ll protect him, Maxis, don’t worry,” Bartre said.

“Too young to kill.”

“We’re not _killing_ them,” Raigh spoke as he glared at me. “We’re freeing them.”

“…Fine.”

“And the troubadours are likely to flee, correct,” Alfonse asked.

“Yeah.”

“Alright, then. Let’s go!”

From outside of the wall, we couldn’t see the battle, but we knew it ended in our favor when we were whisked away to a place featured in every Souls-Borne game: a poison swamp. The first thing that I noticed is that it's black as pitch. I froze in place until what I’m sure passed as a flare flew up into the air, stopping just below the foliage, and lit up the entire area. Tall trees were all around us, cursed puddles dotted the ground, and natural light was inaccessible. The source of the flare was a young blond man atop a black horse. The same one we saw with Xander. He was flanked by a yellow-clad, blond mage and a tan archer, along with an Emblian red mage.

“Leo,” Azura gasped. “You fell under contract, too? Why?”

The young man scoffed. “Do you _really_ think I _wanted_ this? No, this was _Xander’s_ idea. Can we just hurry this up, please?”

“I… Yes, let’s… Maxis, what is your plan?”

I was silent for a moment. “I dunno.”

“Shall I take over, Maxis,” Virion asked me.

“Sure.”

“Excellent.” He turned to the others. “I will be facing the archer, of course, but I would like to know if any of you have good resistance to magic, else I fear we may not be successful.”

“That’s a good question,” Anna said with a toothless smile. “My resistance is reasonably high, I would say.”

“Mine too,” Azura spoke.

“Good. Maxis,” Virion called out. “Do you have any qualms about fielding Maria or Raigh?”

“Yeah.”

“Ah… Alright then, we shall do without. If any of you find yourselves in an unfavorable position, please do not hesitate to flee.”

“Right.” Soon, the three were moving into battle, and the rest of us watched as Virion traded arrows with one of Leo’s retainers. Anna and Azura ran off in the opposite direction and past some trees. The red-head immediately retreated when she was hit by a fireball. “Damn red mages…,” Anna muttered when she got back. “Maria, do you mind healing me?”

“Nope,” the young girl chirped. She waved her staff over the wound, and it began to shrink a bit.

“Ah, that’s nice…” Anna turned to me. “I don’t think there was a single plan that could have avoided this,” she said with a shrug.

Raigh scoffed. “There would have been if our tactician wasn’t a coward.”

“Raigh,” Sharena exclaimed.

“He’s just trying to look out for you,” Bartre scolded.

The boy just scoffed again.

“H-he doesn’t mean anything by it, Maxis,” the blonde tried to console me.

I shrugged. “’S fine.” It didn’t bother me because it was the truth, but Bartre’s words were more so. I blinked and found myself surrounded by lava.

“Mind your steps, everyone,” Virion warned. “In the meantime, Princess Sharena, you must defeat that oddly familiar crimson-haired sword-wielder, Commander Anna—or whoever else can wield an axe—will battle the lance flier behind her, and, Prince Alfonse, I request that you protect me as I attempt to shoot down that lilac-haired beauty and her ominous companion.”

“I must request that do not speak about Princess Camilla in such a manner,” Gunter spoke lowly.

“A-ah, yes, of course! M-my mistake.” Virion turned to Sharena. “When you are ready, Princess.”

“Alright,” she said as she moved to meet her opponent. The red-haired swordswoman dashed forward with a two-handed lunge. Sharena blocked and thrust her lance into the woman’s side. She winced at the blow, but her gambeson helped mitigate the damage. She took a large step backward, but the loose rock behind her would give her no purchase. She let out a shriek as she began to fall backward. A hand grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back before she could be harmed. “Are you alright,” the princess asked.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine! I didn’t need your help anyway; you’re my enemy,” the red-head snapped.

“I’m sorry… But that would have been just awful if you had fallen in!”

“I-I guess so… …Thanks, I— _Gah_!” The swordswoman was interrupted by an arrow hitting her in the side. She turned her head to the archer that hit her. “That _hurt_ , you—” Her voice died in her throat as she realized who it was. “What’s _he_ doing here,” she asked the princess in a hiss.

“Do you and Virion know each other?”

“Uh, no! No, we don’t. I just…”

“Sharena,” the prince called out. “Please focus on the mission!”

“Yes, sorry, Brother!” She didn’t need to, however, as another arrow hit the red-head in the chest.

“She’ll be fine, Sharena,” Anna told her as she pushed past. The lance flier flew forward and thrust. The tip left a small cut under Anna’s arm, but she countered by leaving her opponent with a large gash in her head.

Meanwhile, Alfonse blocked an axe strike. An arrow appeared in the throat of the bandana’d assassin, and he turned his attention to the purple-haired woman hurtling towards him. He parried her axe and swung for her neck. In a flash, we were in a throne room.

“So you’ve made it,” the Nohrian crown prince spoke.

“Xander,” Azura called out. “What is the meaning of this?! Why would you willingly follow such a cruel leader?!”

“You know why! My father was no different, and yet I followed him until the very end! And besides that, she holds something in her eyes that I have not seen in such a long time. No matter! Have at you!”

“Let them come to us,” I said. “Follow the weapon triangle.”

“Of course,” Anna said. “You heard him, everyone!” They all got into ready positions in front of their respective foes. All of the enemy cavaliers began their mad dash towards us, but Alfonse, Anna, and Sharena each held fast. Weapons crashed into shields, and arrows and magic flew. Flew isn’t the right word, though. It more appeared as a sinister fog in the face of the axe cavalier. Alfonse’s sword pierced the rider’s stomach, and the horse darted away. Xander and his retainers were taken care of just as quickly.

“You did… well, Order of Heroes,” Xander spoke as you tried to stand. “Though I’m afraid that I will be returning to Embla.”

“What,” Azura gasped. “You cannot possibly be serious!”

“I am. Do not stop me, Azura.”

“…Fine. But do know that this is not over.”

“…I know.”

Anna sighed. “At least we’re done here. For now, at least. Come on, everyone! We’re going back to the castle!” Everyone began to move out, and I headed up the rear. “Maxis,” the commander spoke lowly. “I’d like for you to meet me in my office sometime before dinner. Sharena will take you up there, if you don’t know the way.”

I nodded.

* * *

I opened the door quietly and stepped in. There was a loud _thunk_ and a low “fuck” before Anna rose into view from behind her desk, rubbing the back of her head. “M-Maxis! I uh… Welcome! Please, have a seat!”

“Don’t worry, it’s just the fuck-word,” I said with a smirk as I crossed the room and sat down.

The commander gaped at me for a moment before letting out a relieved breath and smirking herself. “Yes, I suppose it is… Anyway, I wanted to talk to you about… Some of the Heroes asked me…” She shook her head. “Are you alright?”

I stared at her desk for a while before shrugging.

“Look, I think it’s obvious that you’re not… Maybe this is normal for you, but to us, it looks like something is wrong.”

Another moment passed before I nodded.

“So there is? You can tell us. Maybe you’re not comfortable with doing so right now, but just know that we want you to be able to trust us. We trust you. Alright?”

A third moment. I nodded.

“Good. You’re free to go.”

I stood up and started for the door. I stopped in the middle of the room, then turned around after a fourth moment. “…I… have an issue.” Anna was silent as she watched me. “An… addiction. To porn.”


	7. Progress Maybe

“…What?” It didn’t sound shocked or disgusted. Anna sounded genuinely confused.

“Y’know… …Porn. …Smut…?”

Her lips parted slightly. “…What?”

“M-masturbating.”

“What?! Maxis, what the hell is wrong with you?!”

I winced. “It’s… Erm…”

“No, hold on, I need a moment.” Anna took a deep breath then another. “Maxis, why are you… Why?”

I sat down. “Because s’jus’ so _normal_ back where I’m from.”

“It’s _normal_ to sit around all day?!”

“Yeah, it’s everywhere! And it’s so accessible! I first got addicted when I was _thirteen_!”

“Okay…” Anna took another deep breath. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because I want help. Porn has made me someone I’m not. It’s made me unhappy, unmotivated, and lazy.”

Anna sighed but smiled. “I’m… glad you came to me with this. I’ll be honest; I hate lazy people. And if you don’t want to be lazy, then you are my favorite lazy person ever. _However_! You’ll have to put in the effort to change. Do you understand?”

“Oh, absolutely! I’ve been trying to quit for so long! And another thing! Tell whoever you think can help with this.”

Anna’s mouth opened and closed. “Alright. I’ll do that. In the meantime, you’re dismissed.”

“A’right then.” I stood up and left properly this time. I looked around at the three other doors trying to remember which one was mine. I believed that it was supposed to be across the hall, so I opened the door and peeked inside. It looked about the same, so I walked in and headed for the bedroom. Then I realized that the layout was backward. Realizing that this wasn’t my room, I stopped in my tracks, pivoted on my foot, and left quicker than I had entered. I moved over to the other door, and Sharena came up the stairs as I rested my hand on the metal ring that served as a doorknob.

“Ah, Maxis! Perfect, I was just about to tell you and the commander that lunch was ready!”

“Oh, okay. She’s still in her room.”

“Okay, thanks!”

As she entered, I started down the same stairs she came up. I kept descending staircases until I swung open a door revealing a dark, spooky basement. I closed the door, realizing that I didn’t need to go down any more stairs, and started through more hallways that all looked more or less the same.

“Great Hero,” I heard. I turned to the source to find Alfonse approaching. “Is something the matter? You appear to be confused.”

“Yeah, jus’ lost.”

“Ah, I see. Yes, it can be quite easy to get lost in the castle. I take it you were trying to find the mess hall? I shall show you the way.” We started to walk in the opposite direction that I was heading.

“Thanks. Might need a map for this place.”

“That’s an excellent idea. I shall make you one when I am able.”

I frowned at his… formality, I suppose. “You don’t haf to. An’ you can jus’ call me Max.”

“Your name is not Maxis? Why did you not correct us?”

I shrugged a shoulder. “Wasn’ much reason to. I’s still Max, jus’ a couple more letters on the end.”

“I… suppose so. Although… are you sure you don’t want to be called Great Hero?”

I shook my head slightly. “Call me what ya like.”

“A-alright.” We continued through the halls until Alfonse opened the door to the mess hall and gestured me through. I sat at the end of the table once more and waited. I looked across the room and saw Olivia, Azura, and Maria in the kitchen.

The young girl, kneeling on a stool, stirred the pot on the stove while the pink-haired woman added spices. Azura approached with a spoon, dipped it into the pot, blew on it, and tasted it. She nodded and smiled. The pot came off the stovetop and onto a few hot pads on the counter in the giant open window between the kitchen and the mess hall. “Lunch is ready, everyone,” the blue-haired woman spoke. Maria moved her stool back up to the pot as Olivia grabbed wooden bowls and spoons. The young girl took one of the bowls and began to pour the stew into it. I cocked an eyebrow at the meal as I stood up to retrieve a bowl. I was no stranger to having stew twice in a row, but it was usually as leftovers, not a freshly made pot.

I say back down, and Bartre sat down beside me. “Nothin’ beats a good bowl of stew, huh, Maxis?”

“Mm-hm,” I grunted.

“My wife would always make it during the colder months. No better time for it,” he spoke fondly.

“Definitely.”

Matthew sat down in front of the burly man. “Hey, Bartre, I knew a guy in our group with your name back before I joined the Order. Heck, he looked just like you, too.”

“Actually, I’ve been wondering about that! ‘Cause I knew someone named Matthew back when I was in Lord Eliwood’s army.”

Alfonse sat next to Matthew. “The Worlds of Blazing and Binding are one and the same, though the World of Binding’s key events are after the World of Blazing’s.”

“Really,” Bartre asked.

“Yes. If I am remembering correctly, then you were following Lord Roy into battle, were you not?”

“Hm. Yeah, I was, but that’s past now. I was about to open up my bar, but I don’t mind helping out around here. I’d hate to let these muscles go to waste, too!”

“I see. Thank you for lending us your aid.”

“Hey, it’s no problem at all!” Bartre turned to me. “So, what’s your story?”

“Me? Don’ really have one.”

“C’mon, there must be somethin’! How’d you join the Order of Heroes?”

I shrugged. “Jus’ did.”

“Huh?”

By now, everyone else had joined us at the table. “What he means is that he was summoned here like the rest of you,” Anna supplied.

“Ah. But what about before that? You have a knack for strategy; where’d ya get it?”

I shrugged again. “I read the Art of War.”

“Is that like a strategy book?”

“Sure.”

“Hey,” Sharena interjected. “That’s what you talked about when the commander was teaching us!”

“Mm-hm.”

“Huh,” Bartre grunted. “And what’s in it?”

I shrugged a third time. “Stuff about numbers, spies, nature, I think… I dunno, it’s been a while since I last read it. Especially ‘cause I lost it.”

“Oh, that’s a shame. How d’ya think ya lost it?”

“I think I lent it to my dad, but I dunno.”

“That _is_ a shame,” Sharena said. “I’m sure Alfonse would have loved to read it, right, Brother?”

“Um, yes,” he replied. “Though, that’s quite alright.”

“It must have been a good book, though.”

“Mm. It was fine enough.”

“What’s your world like, anyway,” the blonde asked.

I frowned. “Bad.”

“Bad?”

“’M sure you don’t want to hear about politics…”

“Th-that’s okay, you can tell us whatever you want!”

I was silent, contemplating how much I wanted to rant about stuff I can’t even say I knew anything about. “Jus’ imagine a boot stomping on a face forever…”

“What…?”

“People are trying to take each others’ rights away, the elite are doing illegal things, and everyone’s ignoring it, and degeneracy is everywhere you look.”

“That’s horrible! Once we’re done fighting Embla, we’ll come to your world and help,” Sharena exclaimed.

I buried my face in my hands as my body began to tremble. A hand rested itself on my back. I rested my face on the table as I began to shake harder. My hand slapped against the table as I threw my head back. I couldn’t _breathe_ ; I was laughing so hard. “Ahah, yeah, run at a cop swingin’ a sword around, see where that gets ya,” I all but yelled.

“Pardon,” Alfonse spoke.

I waved a hand. “’S nothin’. Jus’ not a good idea is all.”

“What’s a cop?”

“Y’know, law enforcement. I don’t know what’d you’d call them here.”

“We call them guards, though we don’t have many in the town. There are not many crimes that can’t be resolved quickly.”

“Yep,” Sharena chirped. “Everyone’s _super_ friendly! Hey! I should introduce you to everyone! All of you!”

“Ah, S-Sharena, I don’t think that’s a… feasible idea.”

Anna cleared her throat. “I agree with Alfonse, but I would like you to take Maxis into town to get him some clothes.”

“ _Really_?! Let’s go!”

“ _Now_ ,” I asked.

“I don’t see why not,” Anna replied. “Meet me in the main hall; I’ll get you two some money.”

“Spectacular,” Sharena cheered. “C’mon, Maxis!” She stood up and quickly left the dining hall.

I stood up, too, and grabbed my bowl. “Er, uh… Where should I put my bowl?”

Anna hummed questioningly before she swallowed her bite of stew. “Oh, you can bring to the kitchen, thanks.”

“No prob,” I said as I grabbed Sharena’s bowl as well. I headed out and immediately realized that I didn’t know where to go.

* * *

There certainly weren’t a whole lot of people in town. What people we did come across greeted us, and we greeted them back, but if they wanted to chat, we said we were busy, thankfully. We walked into the tailor’s, and… Well, I don’t know what I expected, but it reminded me of a JCPenny’s. Clothes hung from hangers, rested neatly on shelves, or were displayed on more barebones versions of mannequins. Sharena greeted the woman behind the counter.

“Oh! Hello, Sharena! And Prince—! Er—”

“Oh, this is Maxis, the Great Hero,” the blonde said as she gestured to me. “He’s just wearing my brother’s clothes for now. We’re here to get some for him!”

“Great Hero? Truly? W-welcome, then,” the woman spoke with a bow. “My apologies for not recognizing you! What can I do for you, Great Hero?”

“Could you show us what you have for everyday wear?”

“Of course,” the woman said as she moved away from the counter and led us to a rack of clothes. “We have a fine collection of silk shirts and pants.” She held out a blue long-sleeve shirt. “Many colors… Anything you need, really!”

“Great,” Sharena chirped. “Maxis, do you have anything in mind?”

“Nope, ’m good with whatever.”

“Really? Well, what do you normally wear?”

“Whatever’s in my closet.”

“Er…” The clerk tilted her head slightly. “Is there a certain style or color you gravitate towards, Great Hero?”

“Uhh… Casual wear, I guess. Dark clothes, too.”

“Alright, then… Do you have anything else in mind?”

I shook my head. “Nope.”

“Okay. If you’ll follow me, then, I’m sure I can find you something you’ll like.”

“’Lright.”

“Great!”

We followed behind the woman, and I nodded along to whatever she had to say and said yes to all the clothes she picked out. The shirts were a bit light for my taste, not to mention a bit boring, but shirts is shirts. And pants is pants. They were all really more or less the same as what I would wear outside, except the longer sleeves and the drawstrings, which was a bit surprising, but I don’t know what I expected. We went back to the front of the store, and Shaerna out the coin purse that she had gotten from Anna. “Oh, no,” the clerk said suddenly. “That’s okay, no charge at all!” She giggled. “Consider it a tribute to the Great Hero!” My brow furrowed. “I-is something wrong, Great Hero? I didn’t mean to offend…!”

“Uh, no, jus’… used t’paying for things.”

“Oh, of course! Well, don’t worry about it, this time.”

I shrugged a shoulder. “Sure.”

“We’ll be paying for it regardless. It’s the commander’s wishes, unfortunately—bad for our reputation, otherwise, is what she says.”

“Ohh.” The woman brought a finger to her lips. “Yes, I suppose it would be… I’m sorry, I hadn’t thought about that.”

“It’s okay, thank you for the offer, at least!”

“You’re absolutely welcome, Princess!”

Sharena pulled some coins from the small drawstring bag and handed them to the clerk. I took the clothes from her, and we started for the door. “That went well, don’t you think,” Sharena spoke.

I shrugged a shoulder. “Sure.”


	8. Tea for Two, Water for One, Silence for None

“Sharena,” a female voice that was… better(?) than the girl’s called from behind us. “Is that you?” We turned toward the voice. “It _is_!”

“Alice,” Sharena gasped as she moved to meet the other girl. She was blonde-haired, blue-eyed, and her clothing was certainly… unique. She wore a short, frilly pink and blue dress with white poofy sleeves, golden… bowl things on her wrists, and white gloves, along with tights similar to Sharena’s, though with more gold on them. The cherry on top was the ruby tiara on top of her head, along with the braid that went behind her head, almost like Sharena’s own tiara braid. Unlike the girl’s, too, this one’s hair was a lot freer. Also, her… chest… was showing a bit more than it should’ve. And her shoulders, but who cares about those. Also also, she had a ruby necklace on.

The two hugged fiercely. Sharena was the first to break away, saying, “It’s been so long! How was your trip?”

“Oh, it was so _very_ uneventful! And how are you? What are you up to? Who’s your new friend?”

“Oh!” Sharena gestured toward me. “This is Maxis, the new Great Hero!”

“Truly,” the other girl questioned. “Well, aren’t we in luck, then!”

“Mm-hm! Oh, Maxis, this is my friend Alice!” I gave a lazy wave and half a smile. “She’s the duchess of this hamlet.”

Alice giggled and waved a hand. “Oh, Sharena, you give me far too much credit! I’m just the heir of the title, at the moment.” I grunted in acknowledgment. “And what of you, Maxis? What do you do as the Great Hero? Ah! Forgive me if I seem uncouth, but I’m genuinely interested.”

“Maxis is a _wonderful_ tactician,” Sharena chimed in for me. “And! He was able to summon _six Heroes_ who have all joined the Order! Isn’t that spectacular?!”

Alice gave her friend a look. “Hmm. That _does_ sound impressive. Perhaps you can tell me more about it, Maxis?”

“Oh, of course! We—!”

The noble cleared her throat loudly. “Shall we talk over tea? It’s not too far from my estate.”

“Sure,” the princess chirped. “Do you like tea, Maxis?”

I shrugged a shoulder. “Not really. ‘M not a fan of bitter things.”

“Tea isn’t _meant_ to be bitter. When it’s made correctly, it’s much like any other drink.” Alice turned around. “Come. Let us away.” She started away, and a tall man completely covered in silver armor started following after her. “Ah! I forgot to introduce you, Maxis; this is my retainer, Valjean.” He bowed deeply, and I nodded at him.

We continued down the road, away from the castle, until we arrived at a sizeable, symmetrical Victorian-looking mansion. Inside, servants hurried around, carrying wicker-baskets, feather dusters, and whatnot. The interior reminded me a lot of Luigi’s Mansion. The walls were a light blue, candelabras lit the halls, and paintings, busts, and vases decorated most spaces. Alice led us into a room containing a round table, a china cabinet, and a stove, along with many decorations. The armored man pulled out a chair for the noble, and she sat and let herself be pushed in with a word of gratitude. He did the same for Sharena while I pulled out a chair myself. Alice glanced at me for a moment before speaking. “So, Maxis, tell me about yourself.”

I sat there awkwardly, staring at the tablecloth. “There’s not really much t’ say.”

“Oh? No hobbies? No… dreams, interests,… personality…?”

I shrugged a shoulder.

“Really?” She paused. “Well, I’m sure you’re wrong.”

“Alice…,” Sharena started.

“I’m sure you have thoughts in that head of yours, ones that you don’t care to keep to yourself.”

“A—”

“So share them,” the noblewoman said, her voice becoming more forceful. “I’m sure Sharena and I both would not mind one bit to hear you talk about whatever you pleased. But if you need a little push in the right direction, then what do you do in your spare time?”

I shrugged again. “I read, I guess.”

“Oh? And what do you read?”

“Fantasy,” I stated, but it really came out as more of a question.

“Really? It’s been a while since I’ve last picked a novel focused solely on the fantasy genre. Any recommendations?”

“Uh, John Flanagan is my favorite author.”

“I see. I’ll have to find a book from him, then. Anything specific in mind?”

“Uh, the Ranger’s Apprentice is his main story.” I mentally kicked myself for saying ‘uh’ again.

“Hm.” Alice turned to her retainer. “Could you write that down for me, Val? Thank you.”

As the man produced a quill and paper, a loud hissing sound made me jump.

Sharena snickered. “Don’t worry, Maxis, it’s only the tea!”

I let out a breath through my nose. “…Right.”

“You must not drink tea often if you scare at the sound of the kettle,” Alice joked.

“Mm-hm.”

The armored retainer placed a cup and saucer in front of the noble and started pouring tea into the cup. She thanked him, and he moved on to pour Sharena’s cup. When he finished that, he poured my cup and left it in front of me. _I_ left it there, as well.

“What else do you enjoy,” the noble continued before she took another sip of her tea.

“…Uhh. Music, I suppose.”

“Ah! A fan of operas?”

“Yeah. I don’t really go often, but the last one I heard I wanted to remember the name of it, but I can’t find it anywhere. The last line was something like, ‘And then I’ll tastefully pause as I lift my goblet to my lips.’”

“I see! Yes, I, too, struggle to remember the names of some notable performances. If I find that one, I’ll be sure to let you know.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re absolutely welcome. I do so enjoy hearing from others with similar tastes.”

“Yeah, I think anyone who says they don’t like classical music is lying to themselves.”

Alice paused with her cup pressed to her bottom lip. “Hmm. Yes, quite,” she said quietly before taking another sip.

“Maxis,” Sharena started a bit sheepishly. “Do you play any games ever?”

“Uh… I guess you could say that.”

“I thought so! It’s only to be expected of our expert tactician!”

“Tactician,” Alice questioned as her eyes seemed to bore into me. “I see.” We sat there in an awkward silence before the noble spoke up again. “I noticed that you haven’t yet touched your tea, Maxis.”

“Uh, yeah, ’m not really a tea drinker.” I kicked myself again.

“Oh, I see. That’s most unfortunate.”

“What else do you like to do, Maxis,” Sharena asked.

“Uh… I don’ know. I don’ really do much.” Another kick.

“But you’re a tactician, so you must draw up plans and the like, do you not,” Alice said.

“Uh, no, actually. I’m, uh, quite new t’ the job.” Kick.

“Is that so? Well, I’m sure you’ll be doing plenty of that in the future.”

Valjean moved around the table and poured the two women some more tea.

More silence passed. The noblewoman kept staring me down. Sharena fidgeted a bit. I was beginning to feel restless, as well.

A glass of water was placed in front of me, and the tea was taken away. I looked up the arm and into the seemingly glowing eyes of the armored retainer. “Thanks.” The water sat there, as well.

“Well, Sharena,” Alice started. “It seems to me that there’s no end to your friendliness, is there?”

“Huh? Oh, yes, thank you,” the princess replied. “Um… I think it’s best we left soon, or else the commander will be worried.”

“Ah, of course. I’ll show you two out, then.” The noble stood up, Sharena following suit, and myself after her. She led us through the mansion once more and turned to Sharena. “I must thank you for keeping me company, regardless of its duration.”

“Of course! You know I always have time for you!” The two embraced, and Sharena accepted my clothes back from Valjean. I guess I didn’t see her pass them off.

“And Maxis, it was nice meeting you,” Alice said to me. “I look forward to getting to know you better in the future.”

“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “You too.” Sharena and I moved through the door, giving waves. “Take care.” We strode through the town again and entered the castle, finding Anna approaching us.

“There you two are,” she spoke. “Did you get clothes?”

“We sure did,” Sharena chimed as she held them up. “And then we ran into Alice and had tea with her!”

“That explains it. Come on, we’re having dinner soon, and I have a report.”

“Does another world need our help?!”

“Yes, but I want to make sure everyone is present when I read it so I don’t need to repeat myself.”

“Oh, of course! Come on, Maxis!” We followed the commander through the castle to the mess hall and sat down in front of bowls of stew. I frowned. Tacos were sounding more appealing at this rate.

“Listen up, everyone,” Anna shouted from the head of the table. “Another world needs our help, this time the World of Binding.” She pointed to Bartre. “The world _you’re_ from.”

The burly man hummed. “Those Emblian folk are trying to enslave my friends, then, huh?”

“Exactly right. So all of you get ready to move out tomorrow; get plenty of rest, train, whatever you need, we’ll try to accommodate.”

Everyone hummed in agreement.

“What kind of terrain should we expect, Bartre,” Azura asked.

“Hmm. I can’t really say for sure.”

“Well what kind of places did you go to on your travels? When we freed… the World of Conquest, it was called? We were transported to places that I had been before coming here.”

“You mean I might be reliving battles like you did? Hmm. I suppose besides fields and such, we went through a desert and a cold, mountainous region. That’s all the variety that I know of.”

“That’s useful information,” Anna said. “We should probably see if we can get cold-weather gear.” She nodded towards Azura and Olivia. “Especially for you two.”

Azura nodded back while Olivia blushed and looked away.

We all started eating, and I was beginning to struggle with my stew. “Is something the matter, Maxis,” Sharena asked.

I shook my head. “No, i’s nothing.”

“It doesn’t look like nothing,” Azura noted. “Are you ill?”

“No.”

“Then what is it,” the blonde princess asked.

I sighed. “We’ve jus’ been having a lot of stew lately.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s true.”

“My apologies,” the blue-haired songstress spoke. “It appeared that we had plenty of ingredients for it, so I thought it would be a waste to not use them.”

“That makes sense,” Anna spoke. “But I’m with Maxis on this one. We should try to avoid stew for a little while. I once had stir fry nearly too many times, so it makes me a bit sick thinking about it.”

“Is that so? I’m afraid I didn’t know. We’ll try to avoid making it in the future, then.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

It had become the end of the day and by proxy the end of the night. As I lay in bed after having said my prayers, one thought crossed my mind: _She’s never going to find that book._


End file.
